Heard a guy at the hardware store say 'real' brisket takes at least 18 hours

I was picking up some firebrick in Springfield and overheard a guy telling his buddy that if your brisket is done in under 18 hours, you're doing it wrong. He was pretty loud about it. I've been cooking on my offset for about fifteen years, and that just doesn't match my experience. I've had plenty of great briskets finish in 10 to 12 hours at 275 degrees. The meat is tender, the bark is set, and it probes like butter. Chasing a specific time, especially one that long, seems like a recipe for dry, overdone meat. It's about the feel and the temp, not the clock. I think this idea that longer is always better pushes people to cook at super low temps just to hit a time goal. Has anyone else found that a shorter, hotter cook can give you a better product?

3 comments

3 Comments

clairer7916d ago

My last one was a 14 pound prime packer. Ran it at 300 on my old Oklahoma Joe. Wrapped in butcher paper at 170. It was done in just under 11 hours. Rested for 5. Best bark I've ever had. That guy is just gatekeeping. Cook to probe tender, not to some random hour count.

jesse_nguyen16d ago

Wait, you rested it for five HOURS? That's insane. I've never let a brisket sit that long before. Did it stay hot enough to serve? I'm always worried about food safety if it drops below temp. Your bark must have been next level with that much rest though.

anna9833d ago

Heard that same line at a cook-off once and my first brisket took 22 hours because I believed it. Ended up with meat so dry you could have used it as a doorstop. Now if it hits 203 and probes tender, it's done, even if that happens before lunch. That guy's probably still out there waiting for his first good brisket to finish.